WEBVTT KCRA 3 NEWS AT 6:00 STARTS RIGHT NOW. GULSTAN: YOU ARE LOOKING AT PEOPLE HERE LINED UP TO TAKE PART IN A FREE DENTAL CARE EVENT TAKING PART AT CAL EX. HUNDRED VOLUNTEERS, INCLUDING DOZENS OF DENTIST SPENT MOST TODAY GIVING PEOPLE SMILES. EDIE: ORGANIZERS HOPE THAT AN UNDERLYING MESSAGE GETS ACROSS LAWMAKERS. KEVIN OLIVER IS LIVE WITH THAT. HOW MANY PEOPLE DID THEY HELP TODAY? KEVIN: THEY HELPED 1100 TO BE EXACT. THEY ARE STILL WRAPPING UP ON THE PEOPLE HERE. STILL WORKING ON IT DENTURES AND EXTRACTIONS. THEY TOOK A LINEUP AT AROUND 3:00 TODAY. SOME STATE LAWMAKERS WERE ALSO HERE TO SEE JUST HOW MANY PEOPLE NEED HELP. TODAY MARKS DR. GARY ACKERMAN'S SEVENTH OF FREE DENTAL CARE CLINIC IN THE PAST THREE YEARS. HE SAYS HE PERFORMS CHARITY WORK BECAUSE THERE ARE TWO FEW DENTISTS WORKING ON PATIENTS WITH DENTI-CAL INSURANCE. THEY ARE VERY GRATEFUL PEOPLE . KEVIN: THE DENTI-CAL, THE STATE-FUNDED SAFETY NET THAT ONCE PROVIDED LOW-COST DENTAL CARE FOR 3 MILLION CALIFORNIANS, ISN'T DOING WHAT IT SHOULD. THE STATE CAUGHT THE PROGRAM FOR ADULTS IN 2009. WHILE WALL MAKERS REVIVED THE PROGRAM LAST YEAR, ACKERMAN AND OTHER DENTISTS SAY IT IS SO POORLY FUNDED AT MOST DENTISTS ARE NOT PARTICIPATING. AND THOSE THAT ARE HAVING BACKLOG OF PATIENTS. YOU CALL XYZ DENTAL, AND THEY SAID YES, WE DO HAVE DENTI-CAL BUT WE CANNOT SEE YOU FOR EIGHT-MONTH. -- FOR EITGHT MONTHS. WE ARE BETTER OFF DOING CHARITY. KEVIN: THAT IS BECAUSE THE STATE REIMBURSEMENT RATE HAS NOT BEEN ADJUSTED FOR THE TIME OR DENTIST EXPENSIVE. -- OR DENTIST EXPENSES. YOU WOULD NOT BE IN BUSINESS LONG. KEVIN: FOR PEOPLE ON DENTI-CAL OR WITHOUT INSURANCE, ORDER THAT WAIT TO HAVE A TOOTHACHE COULD LEAST TO LOSING TEETH, PERIODONTAL DISEASE, OR WORSE. A COUPLE OF LAWMAKERS DID COME BY HERE TODAY. THE DENTAL ASSOCIATION IS HOPING THAT LAWMAKERS WILL RECOGNIZE THIS AND INCREASE SOME OF THE REIMBURSEMENT BASED FOR DE NTI-CAL TO BOOST THE PROGRAM. KEVIN OLIVER, KCRA 3 NEWS.